Tech Tips: Netiquette

by Andrew, '97 Scholar

[Picture of Andrew] Netiquette is a series of "friendly" guidelines which everyone uses for politeness. There is not a strict code on most of the Net. What are the basic rules of netiquette? Below are some of the suggestions that I found at http://info.internet.isi.edu:80/in-notes/rfc/files/rfc1855.txt

General rule: don't be a jerk. If you use expletives every other word, or insult people, people are likely to ignore you (at least) or flame you (probably). One more note: even the intelligent inhabitants of mailing lists can be quick to anger. If you insult anyone intelligent, be prepared for a very humiliating public depantsing.
Don't post in all caps. It infers YELLING.
KISS-Keep It SHORT, Stupid! People have to download the whole thing, so don't make them mad.
Your signature should be no more than 5 lines long.
Mailing lists are created for a specific reason. If what you want to post isn't germane to the list, don't post it.
Reply to posts regarding etiquette (net and otherwise) in private email.

April 1999

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